There is increasing presence and use of gift cards in society. Gift cards are typically plastic cards that are attached to a carrier or backer for point-of-purchase display or retail fulfillment. A gift card can be purchased and has a value assigned to the card to allow the gift card to be used like cash to make purchases. Often, a gift card can be recharged to increase the balance remaining on the card.
The common method of processing gift cards involves personalization of the cards on one machine in a plant, re-palletizing or stacking the personalized cards, and then moving the cards to another location in the plant for affixing and final packaging. This is a problem operationally, as it requires floor space, manpower, and the risk of lost or damaged cards as they are moved about the plant. Plus, more days in the queue means less overall throughput of finished gift cards from the factory, meaning less total revenues and carrying costs.
There is a need for improvements in processes and equipment for personalizing and packaging gift cards.